Reading the Bible Together
We love hearing from God in the Bible, and our plan this year, starting Labor Day (September 3), is to read the whole Bible together. To help us toward that goal, we want to share a few different ways you can access our reading schedule and let you know how we'll incorporate what we read into the life of our community.
Accessing the Bible Reading Schedule
The Bible reading schedule we're following this year is from the Read Scripture app. You can download it from the App store (for Apple devices) or Google Play (for Android devices). Once you've downloaded the app, go to Settings and click "Read every day." From there, you can set the start date to September 3, and the app will automatically assign each day's reading to the appropriate date. You'll notice that many of the daily readings include related video content that explains major concepts and themes. We highly recommend watching the videos, too.
We'll also post a link to each day's reading, plus any related video content, on our Twitter feed, @ccojbible, and our Facebook page. For those who prefer a paper copy, we'll have printed schedules available on Sundays in the south hallway.
Processing Scripture Together
Not only are we planning to read the Bible individually, we are committed to processing it together. Through the end of 2018, most of our Sunday talks will be based around our Bible reading schedule. That also means our community group discussions will be centered around the Bible reading schedule, giving us a context to ask questions and talk about what we're learning with other believers.
Additional Resources
Resources for reading and understanding Scripture abound. Here are a few of our favorites, just to get you started:
- Unbreakable by Andrew Wilson (a review of that book will be coming soon to this blog)
- A Christian's Pocket Guide to Loving the Old Testament by Alec Motyer
- Women of the Word by Jen Wilkin (definitely for men, too)
- Scripture and the Authority of God by N.T. Wright
Lastly, we wanted to share two Sunday talks from years past that have helped our church read the Bible with more faith and more consistency. In the first one, Tim Chambers makes the case that all Christians can hear from God. And, that consistent engagement with the Bible can help us hear from God more clearly and more frequently. This talk is aimed at clearing some obstacles to doing so.
In this second talk, Tim reminds us of the value of hearing from God daily and the important role the Bible plays in helping us do that. He also gives some tips on how to sustain guilt-free habits of interaction with God’s word.
